taping up holga/diana cameras

[heshanj]

hey guys
just got myself a holga 120N camera. not got the chance to use it yet, and before i do, i wanna ask about the necessity of taping up the camera to prevent light leaks. i read somewhere that the 'newer' 120N version doesnt suffer from this light leak problem too much.. so its not so necessary. any experience on this? that guy only recommended to cover the film counter window

if u guys do tape it up, with wat do u tape it up wth? im thinking it'd be kinda messy using electrical tape etc.. any easier method?

i'll definitely be using that velcro lock mod to secure the back, it seems very loose.

and how about on diana f+ cameras? ive got a diana that should arrive here in a few days.. need to tape this up too? first time using toy cameras, so some help would be appreciated! previously only used lomo lc-a, n that doesnt have this issue i guess. thanks!

 

[zeehamzah]

Congtatulations!!!
Ahhaha!

I got my Diana yesterday !
Ahahah

Anyway.. For ur questions, in my experience for Holga I think its best you use the velcro mod which is better as it is easier for you. Since holga is cheaply made out of plastic, theres area inside the camera that are prone to light leaks too instead just the back. (Eg. The front part where near the shutter) Google more and you will find out what i mean!

For my Previous diana, i nv suffer any light leaks.

Hope this helps!

 

[heshanj]

haha nice timing! thanks for the tips. i'll do the velcro mod. and oh yeah, ur right.. i remember watching a video where this guy tapes the inside of the camera too. i'll also use velcro to secure the camera back hahah.

so i guess the diana is better made?! haha. thats good if its the case with mine too, coz its a better looking camera. lol. dont wanna ruin the looks with tape or velcro

thanks for the help bro! definitely helped

 

[zeehamzah]

No problem!


But mine is GCFN version and light leaks are abit somewhat not often, but thats the charm of Holga!

 

[heshanj]

yup definitely part of the charm i guess! and every holga is different, even ones of the same model. my friend and i bought together, should be interesting to see results. but i'll definitely cover the film counter window, that seems to be pretty transparent and going right thru go the film.. thanks

 

[zeehamzah]

Well, for so many shots i took using te Holga, not even one leak in the middle. hahahaha however the sides are more prone tho.

Can try 6shots with Window taped,
and another 6 without taped.. So u will know the diff. Haahha

Njoy shooting!!

 

[heshanj]

good idea. i'l try that. btw, is ur holga's back cover secure? or do u tape it or anything? coz i saw some video reviews (digitalrev) where the guy was walking around and the back kept falling off. mine seems fairly secure, but im scared it might just fall off like that and ruin my film. lol

 

[zeehamzah]

Mine is secure, however still have leaks becoz the back so called not sealed rite?

To make it secure, i bend the metal clip abit.
Pull out the clip and bend in the middle part. (The part where the hook latch the back of the holga)

I still find it weird howwwwww Kai could make the back dropoff so frequent.

 

[heshanj]

haha agreed, i have no idea how he managed to drop it off so much. i didnt know when i watchd it, coz i never used one before. but mine seems quite secure too. anyway, thanks for the tip about the clip. i'll give it a shot.. and maybe do one of those velcro mods too. maybe it'll look cool?! hahaha. thanks

 

[heshanj]

couldnt find the proper adhesive velcro so thought to hell with it, and used a strip or two of electrical tape. haha. loaded my first film, hope to get it done by tmr and get it processed. lol

 

[zeehamzah]

Cant find any at Hardware store?
Tried Daiso yet?

Hahaa!

 

[heshanj]

haha didnt have time to check much.. anyway, finished my first roll. will develop soon n hopefully see some fun results

 

[heshanj]

here's my first result from holga 120n! didnt tape up the sides/seams.. just covered the film counter window is all.. cant seem to notice any light leak this time. pretty happy with my results overall! much easier to focus than my LC-A, due to the small aperture..works great

my friend who bought a holga along with me - love the light in this pic

and this is my favorite

this is alright too. love the car. lol

i was expecting not so good results, coz i could only find a slow ISO 160 (ektacolor) that day. but it was fine. haha. cant wait to try another roll. maybe E6 n cross process or b/w - next up, gotta test the diana!